What controle your breathing?

Answer 1

The brainstem and certain respiratory feedback systems control breathing. The main feedback system is the interplay between carbon dioxide and oxygen. When oxygen levels drop, it triggers us to take another breath. In conditions with brain damage, the brainstem function is unable to initiate independent breaths. And with severe damage to the brainstem itself, a person cannot initiate breathing on his or her own.

Interestingly, in chronic lung conditions like emphysema, carbon dioxide rather than oxygen levels play a more important role in triggering the next breath, because in emphysema the body adjusts to a higher CO2 level. A healthy person may require 8 liters of administered oxygen per minute, but 8-liters per min for an emphysema patient would kill them (emphysema patients typically receive about 2-liters of O2 per minute instead of a higher rate).

you have CO2 sensors in your brain, when they sence a high level of CO2 in the blood they issue an order to breathe. sometimes when people hyperventilate the CO2 level drops so low the order is "no need, stop breathing" and they panic, that's why you sometimes place a paper bag for them to breathe from